


Drive Darling

by dldwrites



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Best Friends, College, F/M, Love, Road Trip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 06:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4425125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dldwrites/pseuds/dldwrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Goodbyes all around as Iris helps Barry move into his dorm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drive Darling

“That’s the last of them,” Barry says, closing the lift-gate of Joe’s old SUV. 

“I’ll call you before heading back,” Iris says, turning to her father. 

“Sounds good,” Joe says, giving her a hug. He hadn’t been able to get the day off so she’d insisted on accompanying Barry to his school’s Move-In Day. He’d reluctantly agreed to let her go in his stead. Still, he didn’t like the idea of her travelling back alone. She’d sworn to be safe, however, and he trusted her. 

I can’t let Barry go it alone, she’d said, pleading her case a couple days ago. But Joe knew the real reason behind her decision to join Barry. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him any more than he was. They’d all chosen to cast the inevitable aside in the weeks leading up to this moment. What a stupid thing they’d done. It only made parting that much harder. 

He loved Barry like a son. Not to mention, he was the best friend his daughter ever had. Though Joe knew he secretly longed to be more. If only Iris knew how Barry really felt. But Joe knew it wasn’t his place to interfere. The two of them would find their way together eventually. He smiled, pulling away from Iris. 

“I forgot my phone. Which will give you two get a minute alone,” Iris says, running back inside. 

“Thanks for everything,” Barry says, his voice growing thick. 

“What did I say about that?” Joe laughs, trying to make light of the situation. He’d told Barry time again that he didn’t want to be thanked for what he’d done. It’d been a pleasure seeing him grow into the young man he was. 

“Won’t happen again,” Barry says, stepping closer. Joe claps him on the shoulders before pulling him into a hug. 

“Don’t think for a second that just because you’re no longer under my roof the love stops. I’m always going to be here for you,” he says. 

“I know,” Barry says. Joe nods, releasing him. 

“I’m ready,” Iris says, exiting the house. 

“Let’s go,” Barry says, looking back at Joe one last time. He waves, getting into the SUV.

“I love you, Dad. Promise I’ll be back before you even miss me,” Iris says, hanging out of the passenger window. 

“Seat belts!” Joe yells, turning to go back in the house. Iris smiles, sitting back. 

“So four and half hours. How should we pass the time?” she asks, buckling in. 

“Confined space dance party!” Barry shouts, cranking the music. Iris chuckles, shimmying to the beat.

“Are we almost there?” she asks, hours later.

“Yep,” Barry answers. 

She smiles, watching her best friend. The sunlight dances in his dark hair. He turns to look at her for a split second, his green eyes radiating the kindness within. He grins before returning his attention back to the road. The lump in her throat intensifies as tears fill her eyes. Not here, not now. She balls her hands into fist, refusing to let him see her like this. 

“The entrance is just up ahead,” Barry says, turning off. He finds a park in front of Shipp Hall and cuts the engine. 

“We’re here,” he says. 

“Yep,” Iris says, echoing his earlier response. 

“Welcome, I’m Jordan. I’ll be your RA this year.” The young man says, handing Barry a clipboard. 

“Sign in to get your key card. Then I’ll show you to your room. Looks like your girlfriend getting a head start on the process,” he says, motioning to Iris. 

She’s already opened the lift-gate and is grabbing bags. Thank God she didn’t hear him. 

“Oh no, she isn’t my girlfriend. The two of us are best friends,” he says. 

“My mistake,” Jordan says, giving him the key card. 

“No big deal.” One day she will be my girlfriend, he silently adds. He slides the key card into his pocket before joining at Iris at the SUV to grab some things. Then they follow Jordan to the second floor of Shipp Hall. Lucky for them, there’s an elevator. 

“This place is gorgeous,” Iris says, once they’re alone in the room. 

“Sure is,” Barry says, taking a look around. 

“A girl could get used to visiting here,” she says. 

“Does that mean I’ll be seeing you often?” he asks, jokingly. 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says, giving him a playful shove. 

“Good to know. Now, let’s get the rest of my stuff,” he says. 

“The things I do for you,” she says. 

“You’re the one who wanted to come. I would’ve more than happy to go it alone.”

“Yeah, sure. When Dad told you he couldn’t make it, you almost lost your shit.”

“I had something in my eye.”

“Both of them?”

“Says the girl who cried when she thought McSnurtle the Turtle was lost.”

“My mom got me that turtle. He’s a family treasure so that’s completely different.”

“Whatever you say,” Barry says as they arrive back at the SUV. 

This was one of the things she’d miss, their playful teasing. Among other things. Like seeking comfort from Barry during a thunderstorm or listening to him nerd out about some new discovery in science. It was hard to imagine the way things would be without him. Even before Barry had come to stay with them, he’d been a constant fixture in her life. How was she going to get on without him? And he without her? Don’t think about it. You’ve still got some time with him. She nods, reassuring herself. 

“Iris?” Barry says, interrupting her thoughts. 

“Please take these,” he says, passing her a few of his bags. 

“Sure thing,” she say, grabbing them. 

Barry takes an armful of stuff and they make their way back to his room. They continue like this until everything of Barry’s has been removed from her dad’s old SUV and deposited in his dorm. 

“Forget what I said earlier. I’m sure as hell glad you came. Sure made things go by a lot faster,” Barry says. 

“Why thank you,” she says, eliminating the space between them. 

He knows what she wants and obliges without a single word. Sometimes, he feels as though his arms were made to hold her. He thinks about kissing Iris, elevating their relationship to the next level. Every missed opportunity flashed before his eyes. 

This was truly it. In just a few minutes, she would be getting into Joe’s old SUV. He took a deep breath, squeezing her tight. Dreamt of a world where kissing her wouldn’t ruin everything they already had. It’d be selfish of him to start something in these circumstances. He was away at school. She’d chosen to stay close to home. Separation was hell on relationships. This he knew. 

“Barry.” Her voice sounds small. Sad. He pulls away to look her in the eyes. 

“I’m going to miss you,” Iris says. Until now, she hadn’t allowed herself to utter the words. If she were being completely honest with herself, she’d been trying her best to act like all of this was an alternate reality. The two of them were just on a road trip. At the end of the day, they’d both be returning home. She shook her head, finally accepting things for what they were. This was their goodbye. 

“I…” she starts, but stops. 

“It’s going to be okay,” Barry says, taking her in his arms again. She breaks down then. Cries into his shoulder. He strokes her back, holding back his own tears. He whispers words of encouragement, presses a kiss to the top of her head. 

“I thought I could do this. But I can’t,” she says. 

“Yes, you can. Besides, what’s a little distance? I’m never going to stop being your best friend,” he says, taking her face in his hands. The words broke his heart, but he meant them. God help, he meant them. 

“Promise?” she says. 

“Promise,” he says. She smiles, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He closes his eyes, savors the moment. For now, this is more than enough. 

“Goodbye, Iris,” he says. 

“Goodbye, Barry,” she says.

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for taking so long to post something new. Hope you guys like it. Title is taken directly from a track on BOY's album Mutual Friends. Give it a listen. :)


End file.
